Cashmere's Chance
by JenniMac
Summary: Cashmere has just volunteered for the Hunger Games the year after her brother, Gloss, had won his. She had always looked forward to volunteering but now that the Reaping is over, the Hunger Games are nothing like she expected. And she is unsure if the price of victory is worth more than the consequence of defeat.
1. The Reaping

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, tracing an emerald eyeliner pencil around my green eyes. My mother wrapped my blonde hair around a curling iron. I had to look perfect. Today was the day of the Reaping and I had earned the right to volunteer and represent District One.

Every year in District One the eighteen year olds have a little pre-game competition and the best girl and boy get to volunteer for the Games. The trials include endurance, agility, skill in weaponry, and likeability. Few tributes knew the importance of looking pretty and saying exactly what the Capitol citizens wanted to hear.

My brother, Gloss, would be the ideal mentor. Just one short year ago, he had been the victor of the 63rd Hunger Games. He was young, fresh, and still highly lethal. He knew which camera to smile into, the precise moment when to run his fingers through his hair, and he was deadly accurate with throwing knives, spears, and swords. There was a reason he won.

We were always told that a proper victor knew exactly how to play the game. But, no victory was ever guaranteed. Tributes from the more unimpressive districts still won and none of them had the proper training like we did.

"Don't you look pretty?" Gloss said as he squeezed into the bathroom and kissed my cheek, "so much better than Ivory did last year." His breath smelled a little like alcohol. But I knew, like a lot of victors, he had started to drink more after he won. He wasn't a disgraceful drunk by any means, but he did enjoy a few early morning shots now and then.

"Why they kept her hair that icky, muddy brown color is beyond me," my mother chimed in, "I'm not surprised that she didn't receive any sponsor gifts. She was a true embarrassment to our district." Gloss didn't say anything. He didn't like to talk about Ivory too much. They had been allies and one afternoon she went scouting for food and never came back. The boom of the cannon, her picture in the sky, and that was it. Later he watched on a screen as another tribute stabbed her in the heart. Gloss would never admit it but I think he might have loved her or at least part of him did.

Today, Gloss was wearing a dark grey suit with a purple silk tie. He said he didn't want to take away any of the attention from me. To mimic his outfit, I wore a deep purple silk dress with a few layers of tulle to give it fullness and a silver ribbon wrapped around my waist. The only jewelry I wore was a necklace with a silver pendant. It would be my token just like it had been Gloss's.

The bells of city hall chimed, signally that all citizens should begin to make their way to the main square. Gloss walked next to me. Almost everyone I passed congratulated me on my future tribute status. Part of me felt like some of them were only saying congratulations because they knew that my volunteering meant their child was safe.

Atlas Overwhill was our Capitol escort. For the past few years he had sported a jaundice yellow skin tone. Whoever encouraged him to make that decision must have been colorblind. Today he wore a red suit with pink swirls all over the coat and pants and a pink matching tie. He smiled as he stood between two huge glass bowls on the stage that had been set up in the middle of the square while he waited for everyone to line up.

I searched the boys side to find Sterling. He would be the male tribute this year and could easily pass for Gloss's dark-haired twin. I knew the Capitol would love him.

After everyone was in place Atlas began, "welcome, thank you for coming," I always found it odd that he said that as if we had a choice of being here, "Happy Hunger Games everyone and may the odds be ever in your favor. Of course, ladies first." He knew that this was just a formality but still had to be done, he pulled out a slip of paper and read, "Elegance Fleet." There was a beat of silence. Elle was also in the Academy. She was twelve and in six years might make a fine tribute. But not today, today was my day.

I stepped out of the crowd of girls and said, "I volunteer as tribute." Two peace keepers immediately stepped behind me and lead me up to the stage with Atlas, Gloss, and Charm, another previous victor who would serve as the other mentor next to Gloss.

"Wonderful, wonderful," Atlas said and pulled me up to the microphone, "and what is your name, darling?"

"Cashmere Roxen," I said.

"Well, you wouldn't happen to be Gloss's sister?" Atlas asked.

"Yes, sir," I replied, "we were hoping to make this a family affair." Gloss and I gave each other highly scripted smiles.

"Well, congratulations, now let's get to the boys. Any more of your siblings?" he laughed and we playfully shook our heads, "very well," he pulled out a name, "Copper Wishart."

Almost immediately Sterling said, "I volunteer as tribute," he stepped out of the crowd and was quickly ushered to the stage where he introduced himself.

"Excellent!" Atlas exclaimed, "now shake hands and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Sterling and I clumsily shook hands and then turned to walk into the District One Justice Building. I had only been in this building one other time and that was to say goodbye to Gloss last year after he volunteered. I had started to choke up when I hugged him goodbye even though I tried to hold onto the idea that he would come home.

My parents and Gloss came into the room where they were holding me.

"Love, you looked so beautiful up there," my mom hugged me. When she let go she quickly tucked a stray curl behind my ear, apparently I didn't look perfect.

"We are so proud of you," my dad hugged me too. His hug was a little tighter than my mom and before he let go he whispered in my ear in a tone that no one else could hear, "we already did this once, why are you making us do this again?" He then looked at me, square in the eye. I thought that he was going to cry but instead he kissed my cheek, "we love you more than you can possibly know."

"You have your necklace, right?" my mother asked and I held up the pendant, "Good." There was a strange sadness in her eyes too. I thought they would both be happy for me, proud that I wanted to represent our district in the Games. They were proud of Gloss last year and he won. They weren't like the other parents who had to watch their children die last year. They watched their son win and become one of only sixty-three victors in the history of the Hunger Games. Why couldn't they be just as excited for me?

A peace keeper opened the door and told them that their time was up. The four of us did a quick group hug and then my parents left. It was now only Gloss and me.

"Why did mom and dad act like they didn't want me to volunteer? Isn't this supposed to be one of the proudest moments of my life?" I was confused. For eighteen years I had anxiously waited for this very moment and now my parents wouldn't share in my excitement.

"I guess watching your own kid compete isn't as much fun as watching other people's kids," he paused, "Come on. The train to the Capitol is waiting."


	2. Trains and Chariots

We stepped onto the train. It was exactly how I had imagined it a hundred times in my head. Hardwood floors and paneling on the walls, plush furniture, silver vases filled with pastel flowers. Charm, Atlas, and Sterling were already seated around a large wooden table in the center of the car. Gloss and I sat down with them.

"We'll arrive in the Capitol in about an hour," Atlas said, "that gives us just enough time to brief you both on the upcoming events. After we get off the train in the Capitol, you two will be whisked away to your lovely stylists who will prep you for the Tribute Parade! Then tomorrow you will begin your training for the Games. So very exciting."

"First things first," Charm said, "during the next few hours you will get your first impression of the other tributes. Start scoping out potential allies immediately." Charm was very pretty. She had dark red hair that she kept pinned back and dark brown eyes. The Capitol had also thought she was very pretty. She had won the 51st Hunger Games by holding the last remaining tributes head underwater until the canon sounded. She didn't mind watching the slow deaths.

Sterling nodded but wouldn't take his eyes off me. I wasn't sure why. Charm got his attention and began drilling him on everything that she knew about the Hunger Games whether he wanted to know it or not.

While they were busy talking, Gloss leaned in towards me, "I want to really play up the whole brother-sister thing. I think the Capitol will really love it." He continued his speech on how I could make my status as the previous victor's sister work in my favor until we heard the screech of the wheels and the train came to a complete stop.

The doors to the train opened to a rush of fanfare. Dozens of people were crammed onto the small platform trying to get a peek at this year's tributes from District One. Atlas was the first to step off the train then Charm then Sterling. Finally, it was our turn. "Follow my lead," Gloss said.

He held my hand and carefully led me off the train. He smiled one of those fake overly exaggerated smiles that I knew would be our signature look for the next few days. I stepped onto the platform and paused for a moment. Gloss hugged my shoulders and kissed my cheek. We both waved to the crowd that was going crazy at the sight of their previous victor and his sister. Still holding hands he led me to the place where I would be prepped for my stylist. He kissed me again and then disappeared down the hallway.

A team of Capitol citizens descended upon me. They washed, cut, and curled my hair. Waxed my legs. Painted my nails. And the entire time they talked about a product called Quick Color. It was supposed to instantly dye your skin an even shade of any color you wanted. It would replace having to go all the way to a salon to have your skin dyed. I thought about Atlas and his grotesque yellow exterior. Was that a box color or did he pay a professional to do that to him?

After I was properly prepped, the team left me alone in a small room to wait for my stylist.

A woman entered, her hair was the same garishly pink color as her dress that ballooned out at the waist and stopped just below her knees.

"I am Aurelia," she chimed in the highly distinct Capitol accent, "and am here to make you look beautiful."

"Okay," I looked at her hair and clothes and prayed that the costumes wouldn't be modeled after her ensemble.

"Let's begin!" she clapped her hands together.

Aurelia knew exactly what she was doing. She had me step into a dress made of layers and layers of gold tulle that had been carefully dusted with a gold shimmer that caught in the light every time I moved. The dress was strapless which allowed her to cover every inch of exposed skin with the same gold shimmer as the dress. She expertly pinned up random sections of hair until my head could pass for a work of art. A final swipe of gold lipstick and I was ready for show time.

"You look absolutely perfect," she placed me in front of a mirror so that I could see just how gold I really was, "now let's go, darling!"

Sterling was also drenched in gold. He wore fitted shiny gold pants and a flowing gold top that, like me, shimmered in gold. He was not forced into wearing gold make-up but his stylist had wrapped a gold band around his head.

"Sorry it's not silver," I joked.

"You're so funny," he said, he had started looking around the room at the other tributes. I turned and almost instantly started picking off who was too young, too small, too scared, too weak and who would make perfect allies in the next few days, "both of Two look decent," he whispered, "definitely the girl of Four and maybe that boy of Ten."

"Not Ten, he looks way too nervous, the boy of Three could work. We might need someone with tech training," I said. Before Sterling could comment, we were steered towards the chariots and then began our ride to the training center where the real work would begin.

We were the first pair to greet the thousands of Capitol fans that had bought tickets to this annual event. I wondered just how much tickets to this cost. Hundreds? Thousands? Or, maybe they were gifted and couldn't be bought. Anyways every single fan screamed from their seat as all twenty-four of us entered.

We stopped in a half circle in from of the podium where President Snow would commence the 64th Annual Hunger Games. I had a hard time paying attention as I looked at the other chariots and carefully selected who I should kill first.


	3. Gloss's Games

"You both looked amazing," Charm said once our chariot stopped in the backstage area. She was careful not to touch us for fear of also being covered in glitter.

"Very…gold," Gloss said, he was looking around as the other tributes got off of their chariots. He was also scoping out our competition. I couldn't help but notice all of the different kinds of costumes. I really liked District Five's their industry was power and their costumes were covered in hundreds of tiny flashing lights and it didn't hurt that their male tribute was more than a little handsome.

"Now, let's go to your rooms so that you can relax a little," Atlas said, leading us away from the chariots.

Since we were District One our living quarters were on the ground floor of the apartment complex connected to the Training Center. The whole room was decorated in neutral fabrics except for the vases of brightly colored flowers on every flat surface. I ignored gushing over the rooms that would be my Capitol home for the next few days and immediately walked straight to one of the bedrooms determined to find a shower to scrub off the glitter that now covered every inch of my body.

I stood in the shower for a moment. Staring at a computer screen that was set in the wall. It had buttons for scents and soaps and scrubs. I didn't realize that water could come in so many different types. After a few more moments of confusion I selected warm, vanilla scented water and watched the gold swirl down the drain.

In the closet I found a limited selection of clothing and chose a soft pink, loose fitting dress. I skipped putting on shoes in favor of going barefoot on the soft cream colored carpet.

The food of the Capitol was more incredible than anything I had ever eaten. Aurelia and Sterling's stylist, Varius, joined us for dinner which included more food than the seven of us could ever imagine eating. Sterling didn't say much but Charm couldn't say enough. She explained what would happen tomorrow when we went down to the training center. The goal was to prove our power and focus on making allies with the strongest tributes and determining who was the weakest. District Two and District Four would be relatively easy to ally with since they were also "career districts" but we shouldn't ignore the others. Every year there were surprises from some of the districts. During the Second Quarter Quell a boy from District Twelve was able to win against one of our own, nothing was guaranteed.

Gloss leaned in close to me and whispered, "try and be nice, not enough to seem weak but enough to not be cruel or callous."

"Like Charm?" I whispered back.

Gloss started laughing.

"What are you talking about?" Charm glared at us.

"Nothing," we said in unison.

When Charm was finally finished lecturing, she let us go to our rooms to get some much needed rest. I collapsed on the bed and saw a remote control on the bedside table for the television. I turned it on and released that every channel was about the Games. Recaps of the tribute parade, highlights from past games, interviews with previous victors. I got comfortable to watch Caesar Flickerman present his Top Ten Tribute Costumes from the past ten years. Gloss and Ivory's costumes last year were number three. Feathers, rhinestones, tulle, silk. Layers and layers of perfectly constructed embellished fabrics that Gloss had said weighed so much he almost couldn't stand up straight.

"Everything you imagined?" I heard Gloss say as he walked into the room.

"It's all so perfect. I can't believe that some people live like this every day." I watched two boys, delirious from dehydration, half heartedly trying to kill each other during the 61st Games. Neither of them would win.

"Last year was like a dream for me. This whole place is like a dream," Gloss sat down next to me.

"Like something this perfect shouldn't even exist."

"We need to talk…" He lay down next to me.

"About what?" I turned to him. His green eyes met mine and he tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Do you remember how I won my Games?"

"Yea, you strangled that guy right?" I expected him to gloat about it but his eyebrows were knit together and he looked worried.

"He was from District Six. I found out during the Victory Tour his name was Court. He was fifteen. He had an older brother and a little sister. They looked at me with so much hate…" he paused for a moment lost in his memories, "all of the weapons had been washed away. It was only us. I managed to trip him and wrap my hands around his throat. While he struggled and fought against me, I told him how the strongest will always win, how his pain would be over soon. He stopped struggling after a few minutes then there was a cannon and they announced me as the victor of the 63rd Annual Hunger Games. Then I was back in the Capitol to interview with Caesar and get my crown. The first night that I was back in District One I had a nightmare. It was the same scene as those last moments of the Games but he was on top of me and he was telling me how weak I was and how unworthy I was for that crown, how few people would miss me. Then everything starts to fade and I hear the sound of the cannon. That's when I wake up."

He paused again and looked up at the ceiling, "I've had that same nightmare every night for a year and I keep waiting for it to stop and I keep waiting to be that victor that I always thought I would be but it doesn't stop. No matter how many people congratulate me and how many people tell me that I was absolutely incredible I can't stop seeing his face," he turned back to me, "You have to win. I will do everything in my power to help you win."

"What about Sterling?" I asked him.

"There can only be one winner, Cashmere, and it is going to be you."


	4. Swords, Spears, and Snares

The alarm went off at 8am the next morning. For a moment I thought I was back home in my own bed but I opened my eyes and saw Gloss still asleep next to me. I was still wearing the dress from last night and the television was on showing highlights from a Hunger Games that was on before I was born. Early morning must not be a prime viewing hour.

"Time to get up," I shoved him.

"Shhh, I'm trying to sleep," Gloss said. He pulled the blankets over his head.

"Training starts in two hours. I can't look like I just rolled out of bed." I got up and shuffled into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"_Your_ training starts in two hours. _My _training ended a year ago," he said while still buried under the covers.

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Gloss! I'm so sorry I thought that Cashmere was sleeping in this room." I heard Aurelia say.

"She's here. She's in the bathroom," Gloss said still groggy.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find Aurelia in all her Capitol glory standing in the doorway. Today she was wearing another pink dress. The skirt seemed to be made out of balloons and the top was lots and lots of ruffles.

"Cashmere!" she wrapped me in an unexpected hug, "I have your training outfit." She handed me a bag with a neatly folded set of clothes inside, "Put it on and I'll get your shoes."

The training outfit that Aurelia had picked out was very simple, a black tight fitting shirt and matching pants with glittering gold thread running through them so that they softly shimmered in the light. Aurelia reappeared with garish, metallic gold, high-top sneakers in her hand.

"Don't you love them!" she thrust them into my hands, "go, go, go, get dressed so that we can do your hair."

When the team was finally finished, my blond hair had been curled and pulled and pinned into something that was both beautiful and functional.

Over breakfast Charm went on another rant as if we had forgotten everything that she had said twelve hours ago. "What would you consider your best weapon?"

"Sword," Sterling said while pulling apart a pastry with a mystery fruit filling. He was wearing navy pants and a dark green shirt. His shoes were identical to mine except that they were a shiny emerald green.

"Throwing knives, probably," I told her. Charm was staring at me with the determination of a true victor. If she ever had to go back in the Games, there was no doubt in my mind that she could win in a matter of hours.

"How cute, just like your brother? Is that biologically predetermined or your strategy?" Charm looked at me then Gloss and then back at me.

"Probably predetermined," Gloss said through a mouthful of eggs.

At 9:45, Atlas led us to the training gym where we would begin training for the Games and continue scouting the competition. Gloss told me that no matter how much we had learned back in District One there was always something new to learn from the Capitol trainers that would be very valuable in the arena.

A woman named Atala began the session by explaining the different stations that included survival training along with combat training. She said that some of us could expect to die of dehydration or exposure to the elements. I couldn't help but think of the 62nd Games when the arena was set in a frozen tundra and more than half of the tributes died on the first night. The only ones who could survive were those who managed to get sponsors to send them matches and a coat. The victor only had to kill two others. He just waited next to his fire, wrapped in a blanket while the weather did all of the killing. Atala said that some sort of fire starters would be a guaranteed item in the arena but nothing else was promised. I briefly worried that matches might be the only thing in the Cornucopia and everything else would have to be sent in.

Atala finished her speeches and warnings and tips and then released us to go to the stations. Immediately, Sterling, the tributes from District Two and the girl from District Four went to the weapons station. There were swords, spears, knives, weights, targets, and dummies. A trainer stood against a wall in case anyone wanted an actual person to spar with. Targeting any of the other tributes was forbidden until we were in the arena.

District Two was clearly dangerous from the moment I watched them both pick up a sword and a knife. They were in perfect sync with each other. One would throw a sword into what seemed like empty space and the other would appear as if by magic. We needed them without any doubt. The girl from Four proved to be less impressive than I originally thought. She chose a bow and arrows but missed the deadly spots on the dummies every time. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her district partner deftly and rapidly tying elaborate knots at another station. He might be more valuable than the girl.

When District Two had stepped off the target platform, I picked up three throwing knives and easily nailed the center of three of the targets. Sterling grabbed a sword and a spear. He swiftly decapitated two dummies and bullseyed a target with the spear. I had always been impressed by him.

I turned away from target practice to see if there was any other station that I might need to visit. The handsome boy from District Five was sitting at the snare setting station. He was the only tribute there and was trying to create a trip wire.

"Hi," I sat down next to him, "what are you doing?" His hands were shaking a little as he tied a thin rope from one fake tree to another and covered it with leaves.

"Trying to figure out how to kill people," he said and laughed nervously, "what about you?"

"I've never built a snare before." A trainer came up to me and handed me a spool of rope and a tiny knife to cut with. She then began showing me how to construct the snare that the boy was trying with little success to make.

"I've never really had to do anything like any of this back home," he said. He pushed the trip wire but nothing happened, "District Five is power. Not exactly an industry that teaches any useful skills for the Games," he threw his hands up in surrender, "I'm Volt," he extended his hand.

"Cashmere. So you really don't know anything?"

"Honestly?" he began to untie his ropes to try and start over while I tried to mimic the steps that the trainer was moving through, "give me some wire and two magnets and I can electrify almost anything. But those aren't organic are they?" He looked up at me. His eyes were sapphire blue. His blonde hair had been cut short but his stylist had used lots of gel with the hope that he could do some sort of sculpting but it ended up looking like a swirled, tangled mess.

"I bet if you could show the Gamemakers that you can do that they'd put some in the Cornucopia."

"If I'm lucky…" Volt triggered his reassembled trip wire and the snare set off perfectly, "well that will be useful."

During lunch Sterling introduced me to the District Two tributes, Atticus and Gaia. They happily agreed to be our allies and we began discussing what we had learned about the other tributes from the little interaction we had had with them.

"Who was that boy from Five that you were talking to?" Gaia asked. She had dark wavy hair that was pulled into a high ponytail and grey eyes the color of storm clouds.

"His name is Volt," I looked over at him. He was casually talking to his district partner. "Not a threat."

"That girl from Four, we thought she would be… better," Sterling told Atticus.

"We'll see what her private score is and then decide," he responded.

Atticus seemed dangerous like a male version of Charm but there was something deeper, something more animalistic. Gaia was softer but I remembered her knife work and knew that she was much more lethal than her act led on.

Both began telling us who they thought would be a threat, who should be immediately eliminated, and who we shouldn't worry about just yet. Of course, the private session scores would give us even more information about the others.

"Your brother's Gloss, right?" Gaia looked at me.

"Yea," I said, "why do you ask?"

"We were just arguing about whether that will help or hurt you in the arena…"


End file.
